1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to drive systems and, more particularly, to an automatic self compensating flow control lubrication system for continuously supplying the requisite amount of lubricant to at least one moving component of a drive system.
Throughout the disclosure, the term "oil" will be employed in a general sense to mean any suitable lubricant, whether natural or synthetic, and whether mineral, vegetable, animal, or petroleum.
Present lubrication systems of the type used, for example, in drive systems for gas turbine engines are designed to supply a near constant oil pressure to fixed jets in the various engine components which require lubrication including bearing package, gears and the like. The system is designed to supply the minimum flow required for the worst case, typically, maximum power at sea level with the most unfavorable jet size and temperature conditions. This philosophy inevitably leads to excessive flow conditions in most other engine operating modes. Deteriorating system conditions, such as clogging jets, cannot be corrected and require operator attention with the possibility of mission cancellation.
In addition to the primary flow functions of the system, present configurations include some diagnostic and condition monitoring provisions. However, these are mainly warning lights and/or gages which require crew attention and only add to the operator workload.